There’s not a lot of Bigfoot in this Bigfoot movie but it remains watchable mainly due to the chemistry between Carson and Fimple.
The early-to-mid 1970s were a grand time for low budget Bigfoot movies. Fuelled by the success of 1972’s The Legend of Boggy Creek, which packed drive-ins with its effective documentary style and dramatic reenactments of encounters with the legendary creature, it seemed like anyone who could scrape together a camera and some cash was producing a Bigfoot movie. One of the later entries in the Sasquatch movie bonanza was 1976’s Creature from Black Lake. Although it shares a few similarities with The Legend of Boggy Creek, especially in terms of its Southern locale and charm, Creature from Black Lake delivers a more straightforward story rather trying to be a documentary.
Two college students from Chicago, Rives (John David Carson) and Pahoo (Dennis Fimple), travel to Oil City, Louisiana to investigate a story regarding a creature that supposedly attacked and killed a trapper. Initially, they’re searching for Joe Canton (Jack Elam), who was with the trapper when he was killed. Unable to locate him, they encounter a young man named Orville (Jim McCollough Jr.) who offers to tell them his story if they’ll give him a ride home. Once they reach Orville’s house, they meet his grandfather (Dub Taylor), who tells them a story about his own run-in with Bigfoot. That night, Rives and Pahoo have their first encounter with the creature and manage to record a scream like nothing they’ve ever heard before.
The rest of Creature from Black Lake follows the students as they try to track down Joe Canton and avoid the local sheriff (Bill Thurman), who isn’t happy about their attempts to dredge up stories about the creature.
There’s not a lot of Bigfoot in this Bigfoot movie but it remains watchable mainly due to the chemistry between Carson and Fimple. Carson has a low-key, breezy charm that reminded me of a young Burt Reynolds at times. Fimple acts as the comic relief. The supporting cast is unusually good for a movie with this kind of budget. Jack Elam turns in a pleasantly goofy performance as the cranky Joe Canton. Dub Taylor throws himself into the role of “Grandpaw” Bridges with enthusiasm. Bill Thurman avoids playing the sheriff as a caricature and manages to be likable even though he’s a bit of an adversary for Pahoo and Rives.
Cinematographer Dean Cundey, who later worked as a director of photography on films like Jurassic Park, Halloween, and Hook (among many others), gives Creature from Black Lake a number of distinctively framed scenes. Director Joy N. Houck, Jr, who briefly appears in the film as the students’ college professor, keeps things moving along at a brisk pace.
For a low budget horror film, the tone is oddly pleasant most of the time. This undermines the creepy factor, so Creature from Black Lake never showcases any really scary scenes. The lack of Bigfoot doesn’t help either. That said, despite it being built from a “quick-and-dirty, drive-in fodder” blueprint, it’s not a terrible movie at all. It’s more of a weird curio from a time when Bigfoot was sighted at drive-ins more than anywhere else.
2.5 out of 5.0 stars
Buy on Amazon!
